Regulator issues NT land rights advice
The Clean Energy Regulator has issued a summary of legal advice stating that project applicants will need to show evidence of permission from the relevant Land Trust.
This is common sense – if you want to do something on land, you need the permission of the landowner.
But the issue is complicated on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory where Land Trusts can’t handle money and traditional owners have rights to use land in accordance with tradition. Who will carry out projects?
Summary of advice from the Clean Energy Regulator
On one hand, the Land Trust could do a deal with any organisation to grant a lease and be the project owner. This kind of deal could take a while, especially if it’s a large area with a lot of traditional owners.
On the other hand, if traditional owners have a right to use country, why can’t they use that to burn country and get some carbon credits?
But burning country and being a project owner are two different things.
